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CDE Statement in Response to CEA Lawsuit Against S.B. 10-191

Today the Colorado Department of Education released the following statement relating to a lawsuit filed by the Colorado Education Association against the Great Teachers and Leaders Bill.

Lawsuit doesn’t change implementation of the law

The Department of Education has been notified that a lawsuit has been filed today by the Colorado Education Association regarding the mutual consent hiring provisions of the Great Teachers and Leaders Bill (S.B. 10-191). We have instructed the Attorney General’s Office to vigorously defend this challenge. While we respect the judicial process now engaged on this matter, the Colorado Department of Education remains committed to implementing the law and school districts will continue their efforts to upgrade their evaluation systems accordingly.

The filing of this lawsuit does not impact the ongoing work of schools and districts to implement the law. We recognize thousands of educators have worked very hard by collaborating and planning in order to make their evaluation systems more useful and meaningful.

To that end, the Colorado Department of Education will continue to provide educators with training and support as they implement improved evaluation systems.

It is important to note that the legal process can take years on matters like this. The Department will monitor the lawsuit as it unfolds. There is no change to the law unless a court issues a ruling indicating changes must be made. The bottom line is that as of today, the law is still in effect and CDE will fulfill its obligation to abide by it and respect the earnest work of Colorado educators to improve their professional growth opportunities.